Pronunciation

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While it's true that nearly all Swedes speak English (some better than Americans do), it's still useful to have some idea of Swedish pronunciation. It'll help you correctly pronounce names and places, for instance.

Consonants

Most consonants are exactly the same in Swedish as they are in English. Some exceptions:

j: pronounced like the "y" in "yellow"

g: pronounced like the American "g" if it is followed by an a, o, or å; pronounced like the "y" in "yellow" if followed by an e, i, ä, or ö

k: pronounced like the American "k" if it is followed by an a, o, or å; pronounced like "sh" if followed by an e, i, ä, or ö

rs: r followed by s is pronounced as "sh"

Vowels

Vowels can have more than one pronunciation (depending on which consonants are nearby, etc.), but this will give you an idea of the approximate pronunciation of each vowel:

a: pronounced like the "aw" in "claw"

e: pronounced like the "e" in "fell"

i: pronounced like the "ee" in "fleece"

o: the pronunciation falls between that of "o" in "close" and
"oo" in "moose"

u: pronounced like the "oo" in "moose"

y: the pronunciation falls between that of "oo" in "moose" and
"y" in "any" (the trick: shape your mouth as if you were going to say "y" but then try to say "oo")

å: the pronunciation falls between that of "o" in "close" and
"o" in "pot"

ä: pronounced like the "a" in "apple"

ö: pronounced like the "u" in "full"

If some of the vowel sounds seem strange to you, don't worry. When you're
there, you'll probably be able to find a Swede who will help you with
your pronunciation. Most of the people I met there were quite helpful.

Other tips

The stress almost always comes on the second-to-last syllable.

When looking up words alphabetically, remember that å, ä, and ö come at the end of the alphabet, after z.

S:t is an abbreviation for "Saint" (useful if you're driving around looking for churches)